Be an Advocate! Make sure your favorite businesses have bike racks

Simply print out the sheet, cut, and give them to your favorite businesses in need of bike racks

Back in 2009, we announced a “Bike Rack Request Program” that we initiated with Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. The program, part of the Mayor’s Taking Care of Business initiative, allows small businesses or businesses within business districts, to request a free bike rack for their sidewalk. Within a few weeks, the City’s Public Works Department will install the rack.

The initial program consisted of 200 bike racks, and was so successful that the City quickly ran out. While the 200 racks are extremely noticeable and much appreciated, there are still many businesses and even neighborhoods that didn’t get the memo and still lack convenient and secure customer/employee bicycle parking.

Thankfully, the Mayor’s office has continued this program, and now has a pile of brand new racks to install.

This is where we need your help. In order to make sure that businesses know about this great program, we are asking that you help get the word out.

How to Help

Simply, print out this bike rack flyer (pdf), cut it up, and distribute it to your employer or favorite businesses that need a bike rack.

The flyer encourages them to go to the City’s website and fill out the simple online form located at bikerack.pittsburghpa.gov

You can also simply email this blog post to them or post the link on their facebook page (it’s actually very effective)

Print out a bunch and carry them around with you. When you patronize a business, kindly tell them that they would be serving their customers better or drawing more attention to their business with a bike rack.

Some neighborhoods are in bigger need than others. Consider walking through the business districts and passing out the flyers.

Many businesses will be tickled pink that you care about their business enough to help them improve it. For the most part, we found that many businesses don’t have a rack because no one has ever asked.

Some things to remember when distributing these flyers.

While you can give this to the business owner, it is important that she/he contacts their landlord. The building owner, or someone that has been put in charge, must be the person to fill out the online form.

The typical first concern that people raise is about liability and maintenance. The City will own, install, take on liability and maintain these bike racks.

Not a member of BikePGH? Join today!We need you to add your voice! Bike Pittsburgh works to protect cyclist’s rights and promote the vision of making Pittsburgh a safer and more enjoyable place to live and to ride. For more info, check out: www.bike-pgh.org/membership.....